Superintendent Thomas Pitt of the London police has had to lead an investigation without the involvement of his wife—Charlotte—for almost the first time in his career. She has gone to Paris for a month’s rest. And, as if to add insult, the case turns out to be utterly strange—and possibly quite delicate. By the Thames embankment, a boat is found with a dead man in it. Moreover, the deceased was dressed… in a luxurious velvet women’s dress, and his hands and feet were fastened with handcuffs and chains. On top of that, someone had dumped flowers onto the bottom of the boat. With some difficulty, Thomas managed to identify the victim: he was one of the most famous photographers in the capital, recognized as a genius of portrait photography. At first Pitt couldn’t make sense of what could make someone kill a person of such an innocent profession—and in such an odd way. But then he realized: taking photographs might not be as innocent an occupation as it seems. It’s important who and how you photograph.
And why…